The Catalyst
by Sidalee
Summary: Danny keeps talking about asking Kono out. Steve is not happy about it, not even a little bit.


**Disclaimer:** I own nothing you recognize…

**A/N: **The idea of this story comes from **Tiana-P** so I wanna say thank you to her for that. We just threw some ideas around and voila…a one-shot was born. Enjoy!

Tell me what you think!

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><p>"You know, I don't understand Kono." Danny says out of the blue one day while they are driving towards the HQ.<p>

"What?" Steve stares at him for a moment before turning his gaze back towards the road. Sometimes Danny is more weird than usual.

"I mean she's hot." Danny grins. And why does he have to put emphasis on hot? "She's very badass. And an awesome kisser."

"What?" Steve starts to feel like a broken record.

"Believe me, she is." Danny says, still grinning. "She does this thing with her tongue…"

"Stop." Steve snaps at him and his grip tightens on the wheel.

"Wo wo wo. What's with the shouting?" Danny turns his head towards him. "I was just…"

"Saying inappropriate things about your teammate." Steve finishes for him.

"It was a compliment." Danny says, offended. "Anyway, I was just saying that I don't understand why she is still single. I mean, she brushed off that HPD guy last night at the bar too."

"Maybe she just doesn't like assholes." Steve grumbles.

Can they finally change the subject? Because Danny talking about Kono with other guys just makes him grit his teeth in annoyance.

.

.

"Maybe I should ask her out." Danny looks at him the next day as if he's looking for approval. "For a coffee or something."

"Who?" Steve blinks at him in confusion.

"Kono."

It's not his fault that the pen breaks into two in his grip. Seriously, what's wrong with him?

"I don't think it's a good idea." Steve tries to relax the muscles on his face because he doesn't want to snarl at Danny.

"Why not?" Danny looks at him suspiciously. "Gracie loves her. She's very good with Gracie. Think about it, free surf lessons for life."

"You think you are funny, right?" Steve drawls and tries hard not to break his second pen. "It's not a good idea because you two are working together."

"So what?" Danny shrugs. "I think it's a good thing. She understands the crazy work hours and doesn't complain about how dangerous my job is. It sounds perfect to me."

"Why are you so adamant about it?" Steve can hear his voice rising just slightly.

"Why are you so against it?" Danny shoots back.

Yeah, why? Good question, buddy. Uncomfortably good.

.

.

Two days later they are walking towards the briefing room when Steve notices Kono, standing already beside the hi-tech table looking at something intensely on the display. And it's just his luck that she wears one of her jeans shorts today and he can't tear his gaze away from the long expanse of smooth golden brown skin of her legs.

He already had a shitty night, dreaming about walking in on Kono and Danny making out on his office desk. Let's just say that he needed more than a four minutes of a cold shower to cool down his boiling blood.

"Wish me luck." Danny flashes a jittery smile.

"For what?" Please, Danny don't say what I'm thinking you are going to say, Steve pleads his partner inwardly.

"I'm going to ask her out." Danny combs his fingers through his hair. "Come on, take a look at her and tell me that you never thought about…"

And in that inglorious moment something inside Steve just fucking snapped and the next thing he knows that he has Danny pushed against the wall, with one hand gripping tightly his shirt and pointing a finger at him with the other.

"You," his voice breaks because of the red-hot fury that thrums in his veins. "You are not going to finish that sentence. I say it one last time. Forget it!"

Danny just blinks at him for a few moments before pushing his hand away.

"Are you a completely uncouth animal?" Danny raises his voice.

Steve stares at him in total silence because he's shocked by his own actions too.

Danny looks back at him for a moment before turning away and his face is all blank which means that he is deeply offended.

"Danny!" Steve shouts after his partner. "Danny, wait!"

Shit. Maybe he should rethink that anger management thing Danny always talks about.

.

.

"We need a diversion." Steve says and looks at Kono.

"What kind of diversion?" She asks back but he can tell from the look in her eyes that she knows what he is talking about.

"My kind of diversion." Danny laughs and reaches for her hand. "Come on, babe. We already know the drill."

"No." Steve says firmly while he wraps his hand around Kono's wrist and pulls her towards him slightly.

"Oh." Danny looks at him then a wide crazy grin breaks out on his face. "You should have told me."

"Told you what?" Kono asks, looking at them in confusion.

"Nothing." Danny singsongs. "Go on, put on a great show for those bastards. Chop chop."

"What was he talking…" She tries to ask Steve but his mouth is already on hers, cutting off her words and…wow.

Steve feels that the buzzing of his blood which started when he touched Kono turns into a wild roaring when their lips meet and she goes pliant in his arms, letting him to take control.

The whole diversion goes quite out of hand when the fake make out turns into something painfully real, with actual moaning from her part and his hands slide under her shirt and Steve has no idea how they haven't caught on fire yet because he's sure that he'd felt some sparks when he touched her skin.

Now everything seems to click into its place in his head and the only thing that saves him from being awfully unprofessional is the bad guy who taps on his shoulder. Oh, yes, they have some work to do so he lets go of her a little too reluctantly for his liking.

.

.

Steve knocks on her door and he feels out of place, it's in the middle of the night but he just couldn't sleep because his bed is too cold without her body heat next to him.

"Hey." Kono greets him and her eyes are wide, she looks haunted and unsure but she lets him in anyway. "Can't sleep?"

"No." His tone is low and a little too rough with all the things he just can't voice.

"Um…want a beer or something?" Kono asks but doesn't move.

"Or something." He says and fuck it, it's already fucked up between them and he doesn't want to lie in his bed wide awake and thinking about what ifs for months before he ends up in here anyway.

So he closes the distance between them and her face is already turned upwards so they can meet halfway, like they always do and it's more electrifying than before because they both know how cruelly real it is this time but he stopped playing by the rules a long time ago and who knows maybe, just maybe they deserve to be unabashedly happy with each other.

And he has to ask Kono later, much later, to hook Danny up with one of her friends to make it up to him.


End file.
